HARMAN’s Crown Audio has expanded its DriveCore Install (DCi) Series amplifier range with what are expected to be “first professional audio amplifiers to be certified by the AVnu Alliance”.

Two models have been revealed, the eight-channel 8|600ND (for Network Display) and the four-channel 4|1250ND power amplifiers, both featuring front-panel status displays.

While the amps are shipping now, the AVB (Audio Video Bridging) certification remains imminent but not yet confirmed. “The certified firmware will be released when it passes all the AVnu certification and interoperability testing requirements at our third party testing lab – University of New Hampshire InterOperability Lab,” said Alex Crabb, spokesperson for AVnu Alliance, the industry forum dedicated to the advancement of the AVB technical standard. “[’The firmware] is going through this process now and is expected to be among the first AVnu-certified endpoints to pass all the robust tests – this should be announced very close to, if not at, InfoComm [in June].”

Crabb confirmed that products from Meyer Sound and AudioScience (a US-based developer of DSP-based digital audio peripherals) are “extremely close to becoming AVnu-certified but we haven’t announced a certified end point yet”.

The Crown amps will be only the second group of products to be ratified as AVB-ready since the certification scheme was announced in 2012. A range of 16 X440 Extreme Networks switches were first announced as AVnu-certified in January.

An expectant Crown Audio business segment manager Daniel Saez stated: “Since their recent introduction our Crown DCi Series amplifiers have set a new standard for installed sound and our new DCI Network Display amplifiers build upon this industry-leading performance by offering certifiable compatibility with AVB-based installations, along with easy set-up and operation and unshakable reliability.

"Combining DriveCore technology with AVB represents another first from Crown as we continue to lead the way for professional amplifier innovation for the most demanding large-scale environments.”

Waves Audio has become a new member of the AVnu Alliance, an industry forum dedicated to the advancement and certification of AVB devices, intended to enable the high-quality delivery of audio and video streams.

Dolby Laboratories, Inc. has joined the AVnu Alliance as a promoter member, which gives the company access to a set of certification tools to pre-test AVB-based devices before entering the formal testing procedures.